TV studios pit SAG against AFTRA

SAG, whose leaders are pushing members for a strike authorization next month, still represents performers on 97% of scripted prime-time series, according to union officials. But that hold may have loosened a bit Tuesday, when two major studios threatened to put their upcoming scripted pilots under an existing contract with SAG's rival performers' union, American Federation of Radio & Television Artists.

Twentieth Century Fox Television -- which supplies 14 1/2 hours of prime-time network programming -- said in a statement that it was "considering shooting its spring pilots" under AFTRA. And Warner Bros. Television Group (which has 18 1/2 hours on the air) cited the "uncertainties created by a potential SAG strike" and said it was likewise "considering all of its options," including shooting shows under an AFTRA deal.

So what's it all mean? For starters, there's obviously saber-rattling here. The studio brass is getting increasingly chapped that the SAG leadership won't bend from its pro-strike stance. So the moguls decided to unload a cannonball or two over SAG's bow. It's probably not coincidental that they chose to do so the very day after union leaders endured an agonizing session with New York members that underscored SAG's internal divisions. Some members insisted on the resignations of SAG President Alan Rosenberg and his chief negotiator, Doug Allen.

A SAG spokeswoman noted that the number of network pilots was down sharply this year (from 114 in 2007 to 78 in 2008). "We estimate AFTRA's share of this pilot market is up around 10%, and we are not surprised given the circumstances that there has been a small increase in that number," she said. (SAG and AFTRA spokespersons also sparred over the issue of whether existing series could be switched from one union contract to another. But that possibility seems remote, as by all accounts it's exceedingly difficult to make such a change after a show is under a contract.)

Already, a number of shows in development are under AFTRA contracts, including NBC's cop spoof "Off Duty" with Bradley Whitford, Fox's comedy "Sincerely, Ted L. Nancy" and CW's teen drama "Light Years." "I think everything will push toward AFTRA," one top agent told me.